Fast Forward Songs

Last week I watched Little Shop of Horrors for the first time in like ten years. I don't know how many times I watched that when I was a kid, but it must have been a lot because although I didn't necessarily know what song was coming next, once it did, I was singing along. I forgot how much I loved that movie – and how much fun the music is.

I watched a lot of musicals as a kid. And I loved them, but as I watched Little Shop of Horrors, I remembered how I would sometimes fast-forward through the song “Somewhere That's Green” when Audrey imagines her perfect "Good Housekeeping" life with Seymour. It's not a bad song; I guess I just got bored. I liked seeing the unmistakable little Seymour and Audrey juniors, but I didn't care for the song too much.

Come to think of it, there were a lot of musicals where I habitually hit the “FF” button through at least one song. Although I enjoy them now, for some reason they didn't appeal to me as a kid.

Sound of Music: “Climb Ev'ry Mountain” & “Something Good”
I guess I didn't like “Climb Ev'ry Mountain” because it was just the Mother Superior standing there singing by herself. The song wasn't very exciting to me and the visuals didn't keep my interest either. “Something Good” again, was just two people standing really close and singing in each other's faces. There was no dancing or moving around. Little aside: It wasn't until I was in high school that I realized the movie wasn't over after the wedding between Maria and Captain Von Trapp. I'm thinking when it was on TV, my mom told me it was over so I would go to bed.

Into the Woods: “No More”
I wish my mom told me to go to bed after all the marriages in this musical, because once you come back from intermission the giants come, the princes realize they don't love their princesses and everything in the woods goes to hell. This song is when the Baker is with his Father (whoops I gave it away if you haven't seen it) and they're just sitting on a rock singing a sad song. I still don't like it. I'm sensing a theme here. I don't like a lot of songs when people are holding still looking sad or concerned.

Mary Poppins: “Feed the Birds”
It was gloomy and gray and sad and the pigeons at Trafalgar Square freak me out.

My Fair Lady: “Get Me to the Church on Time”
Oh my GOSH that song never ends.

The Wizard of Oz: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
Now that I'm conscious of the sad and still theme, this song came to mind. I actually really love this song, but it took a long time for Judy Garland to sing it and I remember thinking, “I know how this one goes” and wanting to just move the story along.

Les Miserables: “Turning”
I have the 10th anniversary edition of Les Mis in concert. So it's not the actual production. It's an orchestra on stage and actors in costume. Almost just as good if you ask me. But the song “Turning” is all the women singing the melody from “Lovely Ladies” in a slower, more melancholy manner. Boring. At least they're moving. But I have to tell you, one of my favorite songs in Les Mis is Maurice singing “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.” It's an extremely sad song and when I saw it on Broadway he was just sitting at a table in a chair. So sometimes, they can pull it off, keeping me engaged.

Grease: “Beauty School Drop-Out”
I don't know why. Bored me a little I guess.

The Music Man: “Shipoopi”
I don't know why I didn't like this song. It was a lot of happiness and dancing around. You know what I think it was...it was the repetitiveness. Plus it bugged me because I didn't know what the words meant. Yeah, I'd still fast forward through this one.